and tearful families saying good-bye to loved ones departing for training. putin wants 300,000 new fighters to help turn the tide as the russian military suffers setbacks in ukraine. russia is saying the call up would be limited to those with military experience but reports say civilians also now are being conscripted. the new york times tells the story of a husband and father of five who received a summons at a 4:00 a.m. meeting where a train had been organized to take him to a military center. many men are fleeing russia to avoid the forced enlistment. this is traffic as people escape to nearby georgia. russian airporting have been packed with people trying to get out of the country. one human rights group said more than 1,300 people have been arrested in anti-car protests in moscow and st. petersburg over the past few days. also today, voting begins in four regions of russian-occupied ukraine, in a sham referendum that could lead to the annexation of 15% of ukrainian ter
despite brutal crack downs and arrests. since 1979 it s been mandated for women to wear head scarves public or face jail time. over the last several days in cities across the country, women have been burning their head scarves in protest. in another act of courageous resistance, some women have cut their hair in public, with large crowds cheering them on. a taboo act of defiance that would have been unimaginable a week ago. people are frustrated. they are angry. this is significant that this is happening at this time. a woman s movement not seen in iran since the islamic revolution four decades ago that made the hijab compulsory. their slogan, woman, life, freedom, echoing through streets nationwide. in response, police have beaten protesters with clubs and fired live rounds and water cannons at unarmed demonstrators.